A letter from an English reformed Quaker, to his friend in Scotland of the same perswasion: with the answer and reply thereto.

A letter from an English reformed Quaker, to his friend in Scotland of the same perswasion: with the answer and reply thereto.

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A LETTER FROM An Engliſh Reformed Quaker, To his Friend in Scotland of the ſame Perſwaſion: With the Anſwer and Reply thereto.

Anſwers to that Letter preſented by ſome of the Clergy against us.

A Reply to the above-written Anſwer.

A LETTER FROM An Engliſh Reformed Quaker, To his Friend in Scotland of the ſame Perſwaſion: With the Anſwer and Reply thereto.

[Page]

MY Friends, I once ſhewed my ſelf bent and couragious for your Principles; yea not only ſo, but counted you the only Apoſtles of our Land: But being now by the grace of God convinced of your evil Practices, Diabolical Opinions, and Erronious Ways, I cannot but in Conſcience tell you the reaſons why I now leave and depart from your Society, and am convinced, that no well grounded perſon in the Principles of Religion, and even thoſe of your own Faction will diſcommend me therefore▪ after a ſerious and impartial tryal of theſe few following Reaſons▪ But multiplicity of words being vanity, I proceed to the thing intended; And it is this,

Firſt, Whether or not do ye owne the Scriptures to be the Word of God▪ Ye ſay, ye do owne them to be ſuch; yet notwithſtanding whereof ye deny part of them. But Secondly, Ye are worſe than the Papiſts; For we cannot charge them with ſuch a defection from the Scripture, as we can charge you with; for ye owne part of your Tranſlation, and other Part thereof ye deny, notwithſtanding of the curſe that is pronounced againſt Adders to the Scriptures, or Parers therefrom, which ſaith, Curſed is he that addeth or taketh from the Scriptures, for his name ſhall be taken out of the Book of Life. [Page] But the Papiſts they owne their whole Tranſlation, and addeth nothing thereto, nor pareth nothing therefrom; yet that part of the Scriptures which ye owne, ye altogether miſconſtruct, and take it in as literal a ſenſe, as if the Scriptures were not at all myſte [...]ous; But if we take them in ſo literal a ſenſe, they ſhall ſeem contradictory the one part thereof to the other. As for example, when our Saviour was accuſed and mocked by the high Priests and Elders, he anſwered nothing; and when he was beat in the high Prieſts Hall, he checked his ſmiters, ſaying, If I have ſpoken evil, bear witneſs of the evil; but if well, why ſmiteſt thou me? Which places conform to the Literal ſenſe thereof, ſeem contradictory as aforeſaid.

Secondly, I ſhall treat upon brotherly love, as the firſt part of your miſconſtructions, inſtituted by our Saviour himſelf, in that 5 Chapter of that Epiſtle of St. Paul directed to the Epheſians, Verſe 2. Which ſaith, Walk in love, even as I have loved you. But I underſtand not what ſort of love this can be of yours, that ſuppoſe a man ſhould beat you, ſcandalize your honeſt name and reputation, defraud you of your goods, and ſeek to invade your perſons, yet ye will not at all reprove him; whereas God himſelf expreſly commanded the contrary, ſaying, Leviticus 19. 17. Thou ſhalt in any wiſe rebuke thy neighbour, and not ſuffer ſin upon him, and Chriſts own Warrand for reproof in the above-cited place: But the right Interpretation of brotherly love is, before ye avenge your ſelf of your Neighbour, rather ſuffer a double injury, remitting your Cauſe to God, who, ſaith St. Paul, Rom. 12. 19. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it.

Thirdly, Quaeritur, Whether or not ye deny the two Sacraments? I know by my own Experience that ye do ſo. I ſhall begin with the Firſt, viz. Baptiſm, which ſerves 10. For waſhing and purifying us from our ſins, Mat. 28. 19. 20. A Sign and Seal for ingrafting us into Chriſt, Gal. 3. 27. And Chriſts own Warrand for it, ſaying, Go ye [Page] thorow all Nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Fo [...]thly, Ye deny alſo the Lords Supper▪ therefore I ſhall ſpeak a little to that Point likewiſe, which is this, viz. We have Chriſts own Warrand for it, 1 Cor. 11. 23, 24, 25, 26. which ſaith, That the ſame night wherein he was betrayed he took bread, and after he had given thanks, brake it, and ſaid, Take ye, eat ye, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. After the ſame manner alſo he took the Cup when he had ſupped, ſaying, This Cup is the New Teſtament in my blood, which is ſhed for the ſins of many; this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me, &c.

Fifthly, What ſay ye anent not giving Thanks for your daily Food; Chriſt was not of your mind, for he gave Thanks when he brake Bread, as is expreſly ſet down in the above-cited place. I would only ask you, whether you merit any ſuch thing at Gods hands, or not? If ye do not, then conſequently ye are the moſt ungrateful people in the World, who will not ſo much as give God thanks for your ſuſtenance.

Sitxhly. What ſay ye anent Womens Preaching, I find one expreſs Word to the contrary, 1 Timothy 2. 11. 12. Suffer not a Woman to Teach, but to be in ſilence, and learn with all ſubmiſſion, &c. As likewiſe, ye ſuffer all Perſons to Preach, although never ſo Illiterat▪ Whereas the contrair is expreſt, in Deut. 17. chap. 9. 11, 12, and 13. verſes. As alſo the Word of GOD is to be preached by thoſe that are ſufficiently Gifted.

Seventhly, Ye deny giving Honour to any Perſon; But Jacob was not of your Opinion, when he met with Iſaac, he embraced, and ſaluted him, and fell on his neck, and kiſſed him, Gen. 33. chap. and verſe 4.

[Page] Now my Friends,
Ye ſee how I have numbered up ſome few Errors out of many, but I content my ſelf with thoſe few, which may be [...]fficient (if God will) to reclaim you from your Errors, recall you from your Apoſtaſie; and as if it were to give Divorce to that evil Spirit, which hath too long poſſeſſed you; for if ye continue in that Diabolical opinion of yours, I can liken you to no other thing than Wolves in Lambs Skins, Monſters that deſtroys all that is Sacred both in Heaven and Earth, and tears all in order to Salvation. Therfore ye ſhould try the Spirit, whether it be of God or of Belial. I would we were all of one mind, and that God would break in upon your hard and ſtony hearts, and ſow the good ſeed of the Word therein, that ye may turn unto him: But if ye will not turn while the voice is calling, Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? But continue in your perverſe ways, God that made you will not ſave you, but caſt you out of his ſight for ever. Therefore, my Friends, prevent that [...]ourſe by ſpeedy repentance, and ſay with holy Job, If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. Sir, I reſt,

Your moſt humble Servant, J. L.

Anſwers to that Letter preſented by ſome of the Clergy against us.

[Page]

Friend,

YE talk, that ye once was a Man bent upon our Principles and counted us (as ye ſay your ſelves) the only Apostles of our Land; and ye ſay, that ye cannot but depart from our Society, upon the account of ſome few alledged Errors, of our Profeſſion, which thou haſt Summed up in a Sheet of Paper, and in the Concluſion of it, thou tells us: That if we abide in this Diabolical Opinion of ours, thou can liken us to no other thing than Wolfs in Lambs Skins; and a Monſter, that deſtroys all that is Sacred, both in Heaven and Earth, and Tears all to Pieces, in Order to Salvation; By which Sentence and Expreſſion of your Folly, thou haſt committed an high Sin againſt God, and haſt put a ſhame upon that Opinion which thou doſt profeſs; as if we could aſcend up unto Heaven, and take it by force, (if we may ſo ſpeak) and thou likewiſe ſayeſt, that we are this day an Angel of Light, and to Morrow a Beelzebub: which Expreſſion, ought rather to be ſpoken againſt your ſelves, than againſt us, for ye are always Various in your mind, and can never content your ſelves with one and the ſame Principle, but alters many things in the ſame; whereas we are the ſame Church to day that we were a thouſand years ſince; As alſo ye ſay, that ſuppoſe a Man ſhould beat us, ſcandalize our honeſt Name and Reputation, and defraud us of our Goods, &c. We will not at all reprove him; Whereas we have Chriſt our Saviour his own example for the ſame, as is evident, and clearly appears in that 27. chap. of his Goſpel, written by St. Matthew, 12, 13, and 14 verſes [Page] of that Chapter, which ſays, That when he was accuſed, and mocked of the high Prieſts and Elders, he anſwered them nothing &c. And in like manner, in that Fifth Chapter of St. Matthew at 13. v. of that Chapter, he ſayeth, Whoſoever ſhall ſmite thee on the right cheeck, turn to him the other alſo. And ſicklike, ye charge us with defection from the Scriptures, and calls us worſe than the Papists, becauſe ye ſay, we owne part of your Tranſlation, and denys other parts thereof, but they owne their whole Tranſlation, which ſpeaks forth evidently againſt your ſelves; and by the ſame [...]eans ye prove your ſelves worſe than them. I ſay no more, but wiſh you may turn you from your folly, and turn you to the good old way, and we ſhall be one People, as there is but one Shepherd.

Your Aſſured Friend G. H.

A Reply to the above-written Anſwer.

[Page]

FIrſt when I ſet Pen to Paper, and Compyled my laſt Treaty in form of a Letter, (which is a ſhort View of ſome few Errors of that Sectary called Quakers, but if I have paſt any thing in it, I hope the Reader will be Candid, and judge Diſcreetly of the ſame, conſidering the Indiſpoſition of the Author) and I thought not it ſhould be laid open to the View of the whole World, but by reaſon of an confuſed and inſignificant Anſwer which I have received, made and compoſed by ſome of their own Faction, not proceeding orderly, but firſt coming to the Concluſion, and then to ſome few Paragraphs thereof, whereby they may get ſome little ſhaddow of Scripture at they pretend to, albeit ſtrictè loquendo ut antea pr [...]d [...]o [...]tur, ye ſhall find the Places which they have cited literall ſenſu ſumpia Nonſenſe, (if I may ſo ſpeak) as is aboveſpecified, therefore I have been forced to add this following Reply▪ wherein till (by Gods Grace and Aſſiſtance) I ſhall orderly proceed, and add the Reply [...]s following.

As to the firſt Paragraph, Which is the Doctrine of Non Reprobation, Ye ſay, That ye have our Saviour Chriſt his own Example and Warrand therefore▪ which if holden as a part of your Religion, it will make the Scriptures contradictory the one part thereof to the other; as for Example, When our Saviour was accuſed, abuſed, and mocked by the High-Prieſts and Elders, he anſwered them nothing; and when he ſayeth, whoſoever ſhall ſmite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other alſo▪ notwithſtanding when he was ſmitten in the High-Prieſts-Hall, he checked and reproved his Smiters, ſaying, If I have ſpoken evil, bear witneſs of the evil; but if well, why ſmiteſt thou me; which places ſeems contradictory to the other, conform to the Literal Senſe thereof; but ſtrictè conſiderando [Page] & figurative loquendo eadem ſignificant, as is above rehearſed.

As to the ſecond, ye ſay, That ye can deſtroy nothing that is Sacred, neither in Heaven or Earth, Whereas by your evil ways, ye draw others from the Faith, and Deludes your ſelves, and thereby heaps up Wrath againſt the day of Wrath to fall upon your ſelves, and adds Fewel to Hells Fire.

Thirdly, Ye ſay that ye were the ſame Church 1000 years ſince that ye are yet, whereas the Errors, which have riſen up in the Church, which ye do thereby defile, we find were not come in at the ſix Century, neither was the Church ever governed by Quakers.

Fourthly, Ye ſay we Confute our ſelves in this Point, viz. That ye are worſe than the Papiſts, becauſe ye do owne part of our Tranſlation and denyes another part thereof. To which I Reply▪ That ſeing the Papiſts have a Tranſlation, although ſomewhat different from ours, yet ownes the whole therein contained, in that reſpect they are better; but ye owning part of your Tranſlation, and another part thereof denying, ye are much worſe than them in that reſpect. But ſeing every Perſon, though never ſo Illiterate▪ doth Confute your Errors, I with the Eaſtern Churches do leave you (ſeing I can prevail nothing) to wallow in your Filthineſs; and I Proteſt, and take God to be my Witnes, I would by the Grace and Aſſiſtance of God have reclaimed you▪ and did endeavour as far as in me lay to heal your Back-ſlidings, but ye hated Inſtruction and refuſed to be Informed; and ſo I fear, that that Word is fulfilled on you, which ſayeth, He that is filthy, let him be filthy ſtill.

FINIS

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Title statement

A letter from an English reformed Quaker, to his friend in Scotland of the same perswasion: with the answer and reply thereto.

J. L.

Edition statement

1700

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A49315

ID [STC]

Wing L33

ID [STC]

ESTC R213945

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99826193

ID [PROQUEST]

99826193

ID [VID]

30588

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A49315)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 30588)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1761:22)

Source

— A letter from an English reformed Quaker, to his friend in Scotland of the same perswasion: with the answer and reply thereto., J. L., G. H. aut.

Extent

8 p.

s.n.,. [London :: 1700]. (Signed: J.L.; the reply is signed: G.H.) (Caption title.) (Imprint from Wing.) (Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.)

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